Good Graces
by Infatuated-Simplicity
Summary: HPXHG oneshot! They never stepped over the best friend boundaries, but he wanted nothing more than to do just that. Merlin help us… Harry Potter was madly in love with his best friend.


Author's note: Harry and Hermione are out of school. Harry is a professional Quidditch player and so is Krum. Ron lives at the burrow. Krum and Hermione have been dating for a while. Voldemort was destroyed.

Summary: HPXHG one-shot! They never stepped over the best friend boundaries, but he wanted nothing more than to do just that. Merlin help us…Harry Potter was madly in love with his best friend…

Disclaimer: I just own the measly plot…the characters might be a bit OOC... just a warning. in fact i'm pretty sure that harry is not the way he should be. but I want to make sure you all know that I'm not dead so here is something even if it is the worst thing i've ever written...

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Something was wrong…. Something was terribly wrong. It wasn't visible from the outside of Harry Potter's modest home. There was no Dark Mark looming over his roof and there never would be one hanging over any one else's home ever again, for that matter. No, this was a completely different kind of 'wrong'.

As he approached his mail box he noticed that there was nothing in it. Normal wizards didn't use muggle means of communication but he was not a normal wizard. Then again, neither was the woman he shared a home with, Hermione Granger. They had decided after seventh year to move in together as friends so they could watch out for each other. Ron didn't want to join them and was still living at the Burrow eating Mrs. Weasley's food.

Beyond the fact that his mail had been taken in, which he usually did because he got home first, Harry found the sight of his unusually clean front porch very odd. The only way the mail would have been taken in was if Hermione got off of work early and the only way she would have had time to clean the porch was if she had left work as soon as she got there.

After unlocking the front door and crossing the threshold he stepped into an immaculate home that smelled like muggle cleaning products. That could only mean one thing. Hermione was really upset. She only cleaned like that when she received extremely bad news.

Harry raced up the stairs at lightning speed in search of his best friend, expecting to find her still cleaning, like she usually was when something terrible happened. How wrong he was. There, crumpled up in a ball on her bed, was his Mione. Her body was shaking from her harsh sobbing and her face was veiled by her curly brown hair.

Harry crossed the room and pulled her into an embrace that she immediately accepted. He didn't know how long she had been there crying but he would stay with her all night and the next day, forgoing his quidditch match, so he could find out what happened.

Finally about thirty minutes later her tears stopped and all he could hear was the occasional hiccup or sniff. He conjured up two cups of tea and settled back onto her light blue pillows waiting to hear the news.

"He broke up with me Harry. Just like that. No explanation, no reason, he just dumped me. I wasted nine months of my life on him…" Hermione sipped at her tea and looked down at her blue comforter. Viktor Krum was Hermione's boyfriend of nine months and it seemed like the bastard had gone and done something stupid. Harry's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly why dear Vicky had dumped Hermione.

"Mione, I think I know why Krum broke it off." Her eyes shot straight up to look him in the face.

"Why do you say that?" Harry had a reason but he knew Hermione wouldn't believe him until she saw it for herself.

"Just trust me on this one and come to the game against Bulgaria tomorrow as my date, okay?" he smiled at her and she nodded her head. Harry hugged her to him as he turned off the lights. She turned her head towards him.

"I'll always have you, wont I Harry?" he pulled her closer to him and allowed her to drape over him as she snuggled into his warmth.

"Of course you'll always have me, Mione. Now go to sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow." He felt her drift off and waited for sleep to overtake him.

Although they were few and far between, he loved the nights that he stayed in Hermione's room. She smelled wonderful and her presence helped him have more peaceful nights. They never stepped over the best friend boundaries, but he wanted nothing more than to do just that. Harry Potter was madly in love with his best friend…

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After insuring that Hermione was in the right box for the game Harry went down to the changing room to get ready for the World Cup play offs. Harry, Marcus Flint, and Oliver Wood were England's most recently added team members having been recruited to the team last year. The coach gave his pep talk and the team got ready for the match. They all mounted their brooms and took off.

The first person Harry looked for was Hermione. She was wearing a pretty white sundress that hugged her curves and a pair of modest heals. He flew over to her box and waited for the good luck kiss she had promised him this morning before they left. He knew it would just be a kiss on the cheek but he was excited anyway. He stopped his broom right in front of her and watched as she approached. He felt her warm lips on his cheek and his heart pick up its speed. He saw a camera flash and knew that his small moment with Hermione would be plastered over the front page in the morning but he really didn't care all that much. Suddenly the gentle kiss was being displayed on the large screen and the crowd went wild.

And there was Krum witnessing the tiny gesture. The Bulgarian looked a little more than pissed as he flew off. Harry decided right then that he was going to win this match for Hermione.

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"Harry, you were amazing!" Hermione's smile was practically glowing as they walked to the after party.

"Why thank you, Mione. England is bound to win the cup if we keep playing like that." England had completely annihilated the Bulgarian team. Needless to say Harry was feeling quite proud of himself. He turned his attention back to his beautiful companion as she continued to recount parts of the game he had been too busy to witness. They continued smiling and chatting as they entered the crowded room. Then Harry spotted what they had come here to see… Krum's new girlfriend.

He heard Hermione take in a sharp breath as she looked over the leggy blonde. He knew Hermione wasn't happy about this but he also knew that she had, by this point, shut down all feelings she may have had for Krum.

That was how Hermione had always been. Once she decided that you were out of her good graces forever that was how it stayed. And she had made it very clear this morning that she was never going to cry over Viktor Krum again.

Harry watched as the blonde woman, who seemed to be part veela, sized Hermione up and waited for the brunette's response. Harry watched as Hermione held her head up high with dignity and defiance. He had seen that adorable pose so many times it made him grin and he decided that she needed some encouragement.

"You do know that you are absolutely beautiful right? You don't need to prove anything to her." She turned and looked at him with a slightly questioning glance.

"And why don't I need to prove anything to her, Harry?" Harry took her hand in his and leaned in close to her ear and whispered in an overly confidant tone.

"Because not only are you at least ten times more beautiful than she is but you are also here with the more desirable man. While I'm not going to boast about my physical attributes, I can confidently say that I am richer and more famous than Krum. I'm sure it doesn't help that my team won the match today. And what she should be the most jealous of is that fact that I have eyes only for you, Mione." Hermione pulled back slightly and just gazed in his eyes. Her chocolate orbs shone with gratitude and what looked like love and gave him a lingering kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you, Mr. Cheeky-Prat-Extraordinaire. It's nice to know I have someone's attention if even for one night." Harry placed his hand on her cheek and stroked it gently.

"Don't you know that you always have my attention? I only ever have eyes for you, Mione." He stepped in closer to her and he saw her lips part slightly as if she wanted to say something. It was only then that he realized how close they were. He was so close to her that he could see Oliver Wood's approaching reflection in her eyes. He turned to face his team mate and wrapped an arm around her tiny waist.

"Harry! Blimey, that was a great game and a wonderful finish from you. Keep that up and we'll be in the finals. Oh, excuse me I forgot my manners. Harry, who's your lovely companion?" the tall Scottish keeper glanced at Hermione, obviously trying to connect the face with a name.

"Oliver, you remember Hermione Granger. She fixed my glasses for that game against Hufflepuff in your seventh year." Recognition dawned on Oliver and he stretched out a hand for Hermione to shake.

"If I recall that day correctly I probably would have kissed you if you hadn't run away so quickly, lass." The two men watched as Hermione started to blush. Harry laughed and pulled her flat against his chest and placed his arms around her stomach in a familiar manner. He smiled as he felt her relax against him.

"If you had kissed her mate, I would have hexed you… after the game of course." Oliver smiled in a bemused and knowing way and left to find someone. Harry brushed some of her soft hair away from her face and placed a kiss on her temple.

"I know this is new for you Mione, but trust me on this one. You know that I care for you and I want to stay in your good graces. So, we will talk about any changes that might occur in our relationship when we get home. In the mean time I think we should give dear Vicky a little show, don't you? But for now I think we are going to be forced to mingle with some more quidditch nutters…" Hermione nodded as she watched a slightly tipsy Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson approach them at an alarmingly fast pace.

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No quidditch after party had ever seemed to drone on that long. After a few hours of close contact and showing off in front of Krum, Harry was itching to see if Hermione would accept him as more than a friend. The whole idea was a little far fetched and he knew that she had just been dumped which is why he was willing to give her time.

Once they both arrived back at their flat Hermione started pacing in front of the sofa that Harry was sitting down on. She turned and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to start the conversation. How unfair was life… he sighed and started the speech he had planned on using.

"You know I'm rubbish at this kind of thing so I'm just going to say it and I'm terribly sorry if it comes out sounding snippy or unromantic. Mione, I want you to be my girlfriend. I know you just got out of a relationship and you've only ever seen me as your best friend but I want you to know that I really care about you. Hell, I may even lo… Well, I'm going to the burrow. Send an owl around if you accept. I'll be there until you have an answer." Harry watched her shocked face disappear as his apparated. So much for being romantic or courageous…

---

It had been two weeks. Two very long weeks of sneaking back to his flat to fetch fresh clothes and sleeping in the same room as Ron and his obscenely loud snoring. How in the world Harry, Neville, Dean, and Seamus ever got any sleep at all during their Hogwarts days was a mystery.

Just as Harry was about to head down for breakfast a light brown owl flew in the window. When the owl left Harry opened the letter and found Hermione's script.

_Harry,_

_Meet me at The Leaky Cauldron at 7 PM sharp tonight. I want to talk._

There was no signature, but then she knew that she didn't need one. Harry knew Hermione's handwriting like his own. What unnerved him was the length of the letter. Actually it was more of a note. Hermione usually liked to send foot long letters that gave specific directions in diagram form. But no matter; Hermione wanted to meet him and that was the only thing of any importance right now.

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Harry walked into the old pub and was greeted by Tom and a few of the pub's patrons. Tom pointed him to the corner booth and gave him a hard clap on the back. As Harry drew near the table he stiffened up.

Hermione was there but she did not look happy at all. She was radiating this 'piss-off-or-die' aura and that was never a good sign. She usually saved that kind of stuff for Ron. Harry slid in across from her and noted the scowl that graced her features.

"Mione, look I-" Harry was interrupted by Hermione's raised hand.

"I came here to talk to you Harry and I have no intention of listening to your excuses. I am so angry with you right now. I cannot believe you didn't let me speak to you that evening. And I can't believe you were sneaking back over to the house to get clothes. You know you could have come over and gotten them with out me biting your head off. And another thing; how dare you ask me to date you like that?" She was so worked up that her usually pale skin was flushed the infamous Weasley red. But she wasn't really mad about those trivial things and Harry knew it. if she had really been mad about that she would have apparated over to the burrow and chewed him out there. No, she was mad about something much more important than that. He leaned forward in his chair.

"What is the real reason you're mad at me? What did I do that night to make you so upset? I apologized before hand for it being a rubbish speech." Her fist slammed down on the table.

"You didn't finish your sentence. You lost your nerve and chickened out half way through your confession. But I'm not going to. I came here tonight to tell you that I love you. I love you Harry Potter. And if you can't say it back to me then I am afraid that you will have to come and pick up the rest of your things because you will be staying with Ron for quite some time." She got up to leave but he grabbed her wrist and brought her back to face him.

"You do realize that if you walk away now you'll have done the same thing to me that I did to you the other day and we would start this whole process over again?" he leaned in to kiss her but she pulled back.

"Not until you tell me Harry. Not until you tell me and you really mean it." He looked into her eyes and brushed back a strand of hair.

"I love you Hermione Granger." He closed the space between them and felt Hermione melt against him. Tom's cheers brought them back into the real world and they walked outside hand in hand.

"Harry, can we go home? I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since you left." Harry turned and observed her. Sure enough there were dark circles under her somewhat bloodshot eyes.

"Sure we can go. But why haven't you been sleeping well?" he watched Hermione blush and look down at her shoes.

"I didn't want to be alone so I invited Luna and Ginny over to keep me company until you came back. Unfortunately they both snore as loud as Ron. I have really begun to appreciate your sleeping habits these last two weeks." Harry laughed for the first time since he left his house.

"Well, it's nice to know that someone appreciates me for something." As Harry apparated them both back to their flat he appreciate Hermione's sleeping habits and her marvelously forgiving good graces. For the first time in weeks he would get a peaceful sleep with out Ron's ungodly snoring. Harry watched as their living room came into focus and Hermione dashed off into the bathroom with a wink sent in his direction. An odd smirk crossed his face as he realized that tonight might possibly be the best night's sleep he had ever had, bar none, simply because Hermione was behind that unlocked bathroom door doing lord knows what. Oh yes, this was going to be quite a lovely evening.

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End comments: So I know that I can't write Harry's character for my life but I thought I'd give it a go. Anyway I've got a few more ideas or this pairing so I need to get them out. If they suck let me know… and if by some miracle you actually like them a response from you would be nice too (but only if you feel like it!). 


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